Cuban espresso shot pulled with sugar (the cafecito), then pulled long with hot steamed milk. Tampa's morning ritual on every Cuban counter from West.
Cafe con leche arrived with Cuban immigrants to Tampa in the 1880s and has run on every Cuban counter in the city since. The Cuban method (the cafecito): pull espresso through a stovetop moka pot, dump the first dark shot over sugar in a cup, beat with a spoon until pale brown and frothy (espumita), then top with the rest. Cafe con leche extends this with steamed milk. La Teresita on Columbus Drive has poured cafecito since 1972; Versailles in Miami serves the same. Tampa's daily Cuban coffee culture is the longest-running unbroken food tradition in the city.
5 editor picks for Cafe con Leche (Cuban coffee with milk) in Tampa, ranked by editorial score. All Tampa signature dishes · Cafe con Leche (Cuban coffee with milk) across every city.
La Segunda Central Bakery ★ 4.8
ybor-city · 2512 N 15th St, Tampa, FL 33605
La Segunda in Ybor City has baked Cuban bread daily since 1915, with 18,000-plus loaves a day and the palmetto frond baked into the top loaf for steam.
La Teresita ★ 4.5
west-tampa · 3246 W Columbus Dr, Tampa, FL 33607
La Teresita on Columbus Drive in West Tampa has run a Cuban counter and dining room since 1972, owned by the Capdevila family across two generations.
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery ★ 4.5
west-tampa · 5150 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33603
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery on North Florida Avenue bakes Cuban bread, breakfast Cuban toast and deviled crabs daily, with the family running it since 1955.
Cafe Don Jose ★ 4.4
west-tampa · 3019 W Columbus Dr, Tampa, FL 33607
Cafe Don Jose on West Columbus Drive runs a working-class Cuban counter with cafecito, pastelitos and Cuban breakfast plates for the West Tampa crowd.
Etto's Cuban Coffee ★ 4.3
ybor-city · 1804 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
Etto's on East Seventh in Ybor pours classic Cuban coffee, cafecito and cafe con leche for the Ybor walking crowd through the day. A steady neighborhood draw.